Monthly Archives: August 2011

Making music

On August 31, 2011 - Uncategorized

Caleb and Grace made some music while he was visiting yesterday.

Fun day

On August 30, 2011 - Uncategorized

Today Grace, Caleb and I got to spend a morning together which was lots of fun.  We played badminton, had a tea party, decorated marie biscuits, watched some Dora (so I could take a tea break), played the keyboard, read stories and had lunch.  

Making tea for the various ‘friends’ 

Picnic

Decorating Marie Biscuits

Marie_biscuits

Karen made dinner for us this evening and she had two very keen little helpers in the kitchen.

In_the_kitchen

Sexy!

On August 29, 2011 - Uncategorized

While I was busy getting dressed this morning, Donné says to Grace, "Look at your sexy dad." She looks, smiles and goes, "Setsy!" Donné & I couldn't stop laughing, which just encouraged her more, "Setsy! Setsy!"

Isabel’s Birthday Party

On August 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Grace eyeing the delicious cupcakes, but only for the marshmallows and smarties!

Yummy

Grace in her Zen garden – it seemed to help her settle into the day

Sandpit

People bread recipe

On August 27, 2011 - Uncategorized

Grace threw all her people into a bowl this morning and started stirring vigorously. When I asked her what she was making, she said People Bread. Here is the recipe.

Place all people in a bowl.

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Stir vigorously…very vigorously…and for a long time.

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Find a new container or bowl and transfer people between bowls using your spoon. Stir vigorously.between transfers.

Transfer people to baking tin. Stir. Transfer back to bowl. Stir. Transfer to baking tin. Stir.

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Cover and let rise.

Repeat until done.

Big girl bed!

On August 26, 2011 - Uncategorized
Grace got a real bed today! The mattress and base arrived and she is now sleeping in her big bed…really big when compared to her. She has been so super excited since the bed arrived and was absolutely loving lying on it, rolling around, and just enjoying her birdie duvet.

I was a bit worried about whether it would be difficult to get her to sleep tonight, but she did really well. She took a bit longer than usual to go to sleep, but I'm really proud that she managed to figure it out on her own.

We never realised that Bella was withholding information, but Grace had some questions and she was refusing to answer. By the smile on her face my guess is that she has been trained to resist torture. Or alternatively, she got a bit wet due to an accident that Grace had and needed a bath – the plastic bag is to keep her hair dry.

Bella_bath

Grace enjoying some time in her new bed – it even got a thumbs up

Gracebed

Big girl bed!

On August 26, 2011 - Uncategorized
Grace got a real bed today! The mattress and base arrived and she is now sleeping in her big bed…really big when compared to her. She has been so super excited since the bed arrived and was absolutely loving lying on it, rolling around, and just enjoying her birdie duvet.

I was a bit worried about whether it would be difficult to get her to sleep tonight, but she did really well. She took a bit longer than usual to go to sleep, but I’m really proud that she managed to figure it out on her own.

We never realised that Bella was withholding information, but Grace had some questions and she was refusing to answer. By the smile on her face my guess is that she has been trained to resist torture. Or alternatively, she got a bit wet due to an accident that Grace had and needed a bath – the plastic bag is to keep her hair dry.

Bella_bath
Grace enjoying some time in her new bed – it even got a thumbs up
Gracebed

Do-Do Baby

On August 25, 2011 - Uncategorized
Grace was feeling much better today, laughing, eating and playing, something we've seen very little of in the last week and a half, which made both Duncan and I very happy.

A beautiful day in Cape Town + a happy healthy girl = outside time on the jungle gym 

Cutie

A while back my Mom taught Grace that when she puts her dolls to sleep she must rock them and say "Do-Do Baby"  Grace has done it occasionally but this morning she picked up Tracey Doll and started rocking her saying "Do-Do"   

From the other side

On August 24, 2011 - Uncategorized

How I view parents is certainly very different now that we are on the other side of having actually had a baby. I was thinking about it again while putting Grace to sleep for her nap yesterday.

In the evenings Grace goes to sleep on her own. We say goodnight, put her in bed and then leave her. At the moment there are quite a few trips back to her room in the evening (she seems to mostly just want to cuddle a bit), but eventually she goes to sleep on her own (after anything from 15minues to an hour and fifteen). Afternoons are a different beast – in some ways easier, and in others more difficult.

In the afternoon we go through the bed time process and put her down. The current protocol is to give her 15 minutes to figure out how to get to sleep, and then to go in and help her get to sleep quickly by rocking her. Currently we are struggling to even make the 15 minutes before she is calling for us, but she goes to sleep really quickly once she is rocked.

Yes, rocked, and no, it is probably less than ideal. But it works (for now) and is quick, which lets us get on with the things that need to be done. Also, if we just leave her she gradually gets more and more worked up and just does not sleep. And we need her to sleep – everyone copes with the rest of the day a lot better.

Rocking would have been a big NO-NO before I became a parent, but in practice it is working for us and helping us achieve what we need to. We know it won’t work forever, but also know we might as well make use of it before it stops working.

So when I see other parents doing things which I don’t understand, or which I might consider to be a big NO-NO, I just remember that we all do what we need to do to keep handles on the situation. Sometimes it is just about doing what you need to do so that you can keep it all together.

Grace’s “We did it!” dance

On August 23, 2011 - Uncategorized

I wonder where she gets those gyrating hips from? Certainly no one in our family like that…no sir-ee.